Shock absorbers and other forms of damper mechanisms employing pistons or equivalent structural elements movable within the interior of a housing and employing oil or gas as damping medium are well known devices. In such arrangements the piston or equivalent damper element moves along a substantially straight line within the interior of the housing during operation of the mechanism. That is, the damper housing interior has a substantially straight, elongated axis along which the damper element, such as a piston head and piston shaft, moves linearly when the device performs its damping or shock absorbing functions.
With respect to the use of such devices on vehicle suspension systems wherein a wheel support moves about a pivot relative to a vehicle frame, such prior art construction has serious drawbacks. These will be discussed in more detail below with respect to both automotive and motorcycle applications. However, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention are applicable for use with structures other than vehicles.